Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-02


filed with bands of music, came down to
see the opening of the well. The angels
of God, at the first gush Of the living
waters, dipped their chalicea OF Joy into
it, and drank to the health OF earl and
heaven, as they cried: "GIory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace" Some
times in our modern barns the water is
brought through the pipes of the city to
the very nostrils of the horses or cattle;
but this we'll in the Bethlehem barn wss
not so much for the beasts that perish as
for our race thirst smitten, desert trav-
eled and simeon struck. On, my soul,
weary with sin, stoop down and drink to-
dag out of that Bethlehem we'll!
"As the heart panteth after the water
brooks, so my soul panteth after thee, o
God" You would get be ter under
standing of this amidst the Adirondscks
in summer tune. Here comes q swift
footed deer. The hounds are close on the
track; it has leaped chssms and scaled
cliffs: it is tagged out; its eyes are roll
ing in death; it's tongue is lolling from
it's foaming mouth Faster the deer, faster
the dogs, until 1t plunged into Schroon
lake, and the hounds can follow it no
farther, and 1t puts down its head and
mouth until the nostril is clean sub
merged in the cool wave, and l under
stand It: GAS the heart panteth for the
water-brook, so panteth my soul after
thee, 0 God" On, bring me water from
that well! Little child, who has learned
of Jesus in the SIS bath school, bring me
some of that living water. Old man. who
fifty years ago didst find the well, bring
me some Of that water. Stranger in
strange land, who used to hear sung
amidst
THE HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND,
to the tune of "B rnnie D Ion," "The
Star, the Star of Bethlehem" bring me
some of that water. Whosoever drlnketh
of that water shall never thirst. "Oh
that one would give me drink of the water
OF the well of Bethlehem, which is by the
este"
Again, this gospel well, like the one
spoken of in the text, is q captured well.
David remembered the time when that
good water of Bethlehem was in
the possession of his ancestors. His
Esther drank there, his mother drank
there. He remembered how the water
tasted when he was boy, and came up
there from play. We never forget the
old well we used TO drink out of when
we were boys or girls. There was some
thing in it that blessed the lips and re-
freshed the brow better than anything we
have found since. As,we think OF that
dear old well, the memories of the past
f)w into each other like crystalline drops,
sun glinted, and alI the more as we re-
member that the hands that used to lay
hold the rope, and the hearts that beat
against the WelI-curb are still now. We
neV-r get over these "reminiscences.
George P. Morris, the great song-writer
of this country, once said to me that his
song, "Woodman Spare that Tree" was
sung in c great cOncert-hall, and the
memories Of early life were SO wrought
upon the audience by that song that,
after the singing was done, an aged man
arose in the audience, overwhelmed with
emotion, and said, "Sir, will you please
to tell me whether the woodman really
spared the tree?" We never forget the
tree under which we played. We never
forget the fountain at which we drank.
Alas for the man who has no early memo
ries.
David thought of that well, that boy
hood well, and he wanted a drink of it,
but he remembered that the Philistines
had captured it. When those three men
tried to come up to the we'll in behalf OF
David, they saw
SWORDS CLEANING
around about it. And this is true OF this
gospel well. The Philistin~s have a.
times captured It When we come to
take full, old-fashioned drink of pardon
and comfort, do not their swords OF in
dignstion and sarcasm fash? Why, the
sceptics tell US that we can not come 70
that fountain! They say the water is not
fit to drink, anyhow. "u you are really
thirsty now, there is the well OF philoso-
ply, there is the well Of art, there is the
well Of science" They try to substitute,
instead Of our boyish faith, q modern
mixture. They say great many beau
tlful things about the soul, and they try
to feed cur immortal hunger on rose
leaves and mix mint-lulip OF worldly
stimulants, when nothing will satisfy us
but "s drink of the water of the we'll of
Bethlehem. which is at the gate" They
try to starve US on husks, when the Faith
er's banquet is ready, and the best ring is
taken from the casket, and the sweetest
harp is strung for the music, and the
swiftest foot is raised for the dance. They
pAtroniz9 heaven and abolish hell, and try
TO measure eternity with their hour glass,
obu TIC G1AOhS VI hLC 5lCOA' OoN Win ~
yard-stick! l abhor it. l tell you the old
gospel well is q captured well. pray
God that there may be somewhere in the
elect host three Amounted men, with
courage enough to go forth IN the strength
Of the 0mnipotent God, with the glitter
ing swords Of truth, to hew the way back
again to that old well. think the
tide is turning and that the old
gospel is to take its place
again in the family, and in the university,
and in the legislative hall. Men have
tried worldly PHILOSOPHERS, and have
found out that they do not give any CON-
fort, and that they drop an arctic mid
night upon the death-pillOW. They fail
when there is desd child in the house;
and when the soul comes 10 leap into
THE FATHoMLEss OCEAN
of eternity, they give to the man not so
much as broken spar to cling to. De-
pend upon it, that well will come into our
possessions again, though it has been
captured. II there be not three anOinted
men in the Lords host with enough con-
secration to do the work, then the swords
will Iesp from Jehoyah's buckler, and the
eternal three will desceRd-God the
Father, God the Son, GOD the Holy
Gnost-conquering for our dying race the
way back again to "the water of the we'll
of Bethlehem, which is by the gate" "If
God be for US, who can be against us?"
sIf God spares not his own Son, but
freely gave him up for Us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all
7 ST. 81